StauntonÃ¢â?¬â?¢s culinary coup

Zynodoa, Staunton’s stylish contribution to southern cuisine, the local food movement, and big city chic, raised the bar recently by hiring chef Michael Lund, who comes to the restaurant after six years at The Inn at Little Washington, where he trained with culinary icon Patrick O'Connell.

This is a real coupe for Zynodoa. After all, Lund has had to cook for celebrity chefs like Julia Child, Charlie Trotter and Alain Ducasse, not to mention the occasional royal. For crying out loud, the Inn was voted “Best Hotel Dining in the World” by Travel & Leisuremagazine readers last year. And if Zynodoa was local food-focused before, it’s even more so now, as Lund works closely with local farmers, including the Staunton area’s most famous farmer– indeed, quite possibly America’s most famous farmer– Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms.

Lund calls his new Zynodoa menu “refined southern cuisine– simplified.” For example, the autumn menu includes a fried green tomato and Surryano Berkshire ham appetizer, Polyface Farm chicken parmesan, and a shrimp and grits that uses Hawaiian prawns and fried okra. You can check out the entire menu on Zynodoa’s website.